KUL Access 2014 – Audit Access with the Local Authorities

Local authorities from other states in Malaysia get the chance to do their own access audit in Kuala Lumpur recently during the second day of KUL Access 2014,As oart of the Seminar on Universal Design and Accessibility for Local Authorities, the participants were placed into 4 groups and taken for a tour to conduct access audit in certain areas of Kuala Lumpur.

These areas were the Cheras Rehabilitation Hospital, Taman Tasik Permaisuri, Paralympic Sports Complex Kg. Pandan and Terminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS). As part of the simulation exercise, some participants were either blind folded are required to use the white cane or required to use the wheelchair. Persons with disabilities themselves were also placed in the various groups to provide their input.

They were required to survey the selected area from the pick-up point that is DBKL Training Institute to their assigned destination.

Rapid KL bus with accessible facility for person with wheelchair

DBKL Audit Access is a way to know the difficulty that PwDs face the moment they leave their house to destinations such as hospitals, transportation hubs or their workplace. With this audit, they can detect the errors in development and implement universal design for future development.

During the one hour session , the participants found many areas for change. From the first drop off point the first group pointed out that the tactile pathway for blind access was placed wrongly and it can confuse the blind person. A warning tactile was putted all the way not the strip tactile.

Warning tactile been put wrongly along the path

The gradient of the ramp assessed wasslightly high, making it difficult for the wheelchair user to push himself or herself up. These were some issues highlighted by the group to the local authorities as they continued the simulation exercise as people with disabilities.

One of the participants to be blind for Audit Access

At the end of the seminar , the participants were expected to use their experiences to promote access audits in their own cities.